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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 25, 2002

Zimbabwe to Release 5,000 Prisoners

Nearly 5,000 prisoners will be released soon following the gazetting of an amnesty by the Zimbabwean government on Wednesday, an official newspaper the Herald reported Thursday.


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Nearly 5,000 prisoners will be released soon following the gazetting of an amnesty by the Zimbabwean government on Wednesday, an official newspaper the Herald reported Thursday.

The report said that of the total, 886 would be released in a day or two once prison authorities have sorted out their papers.

Another 4,112 will be released in phases as the government proceeds with its efforts to alleviate the problem of overcrowding in prisons.

The Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minster Patrick Chinamasa said the lessening of sentences would see the prison population reduced by at least 4,998.

Chinamasa said that the prison service in Zimbabwe is currently overcrowded as the existing structures have the capacity to hold a maximum of 16,000 prisoners.

"Presently, the prisons are over populated by about 50 percent. It, therefore, follows that all the facilities, both human and material are stretched well beyond limit," he said.

This made it difficult to provide and maintain acceptable standards in the prisons especially in areas of health and hygiene.


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